Stretcher

ABSTRACT

A stretcher comprising a frame having at least two parallel upper guides, incorporated in said frame on the front and rear sides. A belt is movable over said guides and arranged to support a human body. The frame also carries at least two lower guides on the front and rear sides forming part of a moving mechanism. The belt portion has a length which is at least equal to the distance between the two upper guides and, in the initial position of the stretcher, extends between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide. Two parallel extending cables or chains are secured to one side of the belt portion and are guided over wheels which are secured to the rear upper guide, then over wheels which are secured to the front lower guide, and then over wheels which are secured to the rear lower guide, the cables or chains then being secured to the other side of the belt portion.

United States Patent [1 1 Stevens [54] STRETCHER [75] Inventor: SimonStevens, Den Helder, Netherlands [73] Assignee: U.S. PhilipsCorporation, New

York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: June 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 155,561

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July ll, 1970 Netherlands..70l0300 [52] US. Cl. ..5/8l R, 5/82 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47b 83/04 [58]Field of Search ..5/60, 81, 81 B, 82, 86

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,418,670 12/1968 Morgan..5/81 E 3,493,979 2/1970 Koll et al ..5/8l B 3,579,672 5/1971 [(011 eta1. .....5/8l R 3,593,351 7/1971 Dove ..5/81 R Primary Examiner-CasmirA. Nunberg Att0rney-Frank R. Trifari [57] ABSTRACT A stretchercomprising a frame having at least two parallel upper guides,incorporated in said frame on the front and rear sides. A belt ismovable over said guides and arranged to support a human body. The framealso carries at least two lower guides on the front and rear sidesforming part of a moving mechanism. The belt portion has a length whichis at least equal to the distance between the two upper guides and, inthe initial position of the stretcher, extends between the front upperguide and the rear lower guide. Two parallel extending cables or chainsare secured to one side of the belt portion and are guided over wheelswhich are secured to the rear upper guide, then over wheels which aresecured to the front lower guide, and then over wheels which are securedto the rear lower guide, the cables or chains then being secured to theother side of the belt portion.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPRB I975 SHEET 1 [1F 3 INVENTOR.SIMON STEVENS AGENT PATENTEUAPR 3 ms SHEET 2 OF 3 INVENTOIIQ. SIMONSTEVENS PATENTEDAPRB I973 3,724,005 SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOR. SIMON STEVENSAGENT STRETCHER The invention relates to a stretcher comprising a framehaving at least two parallel upper guides incorporated in said frame onthe front and rear side, respectively, for guiding a belt portionmovable over said guides for supporting a human body. The frame also hasat least two lower guides incorporated in the frame on the front andrear side and forming part of a moving mechanism. A coupling is presentbetween the belt portion and the moving mechanism so that the beltportion moves in a direction opposite to that of the frame.

A stretcher of the above-mentioned type is known from the US. Pat.specification No. 3,418,670. In this known stretcher an endless belt iswound both over the two upper guides and over the two lower guides. Thetwo belts are locally in frictional contact with each other.Furthermore, a driving mechanism is present for rotating one of theupper or lower guides so that the relative belt starts moving. The otherbelt should be taken along by friction. I

A drawback of this known stretcher is its rather complicatedconstruction in which in particular the replacement of said belts isdifficult and time-consuming owing to the endless construction of thebelts. A further drawback is that only one of the belts is drivenpositively while the other is to be taken along by friction. Slip caneasily occur as a result of which a difference in speed between thebelts occurs so that the movement of the belt portion which supports thehuman body is no longer equal to the opposite speed at which thestructure moves. The result of this is that an injured person to belifted experiences friction of the relative belt portion so that hisposture can easily change which may result in his condition gettingworse in that fractures become more complicated.

In order to avoid this drawback it has been proposed to construct thestretcher with one non-endless belt which is coupled at its two endswith drivable belt drums on which the belt can be alternately wound andunwound. In this stretcher it is ensured that the speed of the beltportion which supports the human body is at all times exactly equal andopposite to the speed at which the stretcher moves.

It is the object of the invention to provide a stretcher of theabove-described type having a very simple construction, in which it isalso ensured at all times that the belt portion which supports the humanbody has a speed which is exactly equal and opposite to the speed atwhich the stretcher moves.

In order to realize the objective, the stretcher according to theinvention is characterized in that the belt portion has a length whichis at least equal to the distance between the two upper guides, saidbelt portion, in the starting position of the stretcher, extendingbetween the front upper guide and the rear lower guide, two parallelextending cables or chains being secured on one side of the belt portionat a distance from each other which is at least equal to the width ofthe belt portion. The cables or chains are guided over wheels which aresecured to the rear upper guide, then over wheels which are secured tothe front lower guide and then over wheels which are secured to the rearlower guide. The cables or chains are then secured to the other side ofthe belt portion. The stretcher also has a driving mechanism with whichthe rear upper guide can be rotated.

So, in the stretcher according to the invention, an endless belt-cableor chain system is used. Since a part of this system is formed by twoparallel cables or chains which have a mutual distance which is largerthan the width of the belt portion, said system can now be woundcross-wise over the upper and lower guides as a result of which the partwhich runs over the upper guides has exactly the same speed and the samedirection as the part which runs over the lower guides. The stretcheritself then moves at the same speed in the opposite direction. The lowerguides may be constructed as trackrollers the diameter of which must beequal to the diameter on which the cables or chains cooperate with saidrollers so that the circumferential speed of said rollers is equal tothe belt speed.

In circumstances it is easier to give the belt portion such a lengththat a part thereof serves to contact the ground instead of causing thetrackrollers themselves to cooperate with the ground. In order torealize this, the said belt portion in the starting position extendsfrom the front upper guide around the rear and front lower guides tosubstantially the place where the belt portion between the front upperguide and the rear lower guide crosses the cables or chains extendingfrom the rear upper guide in the direction of the front lower guide.

In a further favorable embodiment, two further guides are provided whichare arranged in the proximity of the rear upper guide, over whichfurther guides on the one hand the belt portion between the front upperguide and the rear lower guide and on the other hand the cables andchains, respectively, between the rear upper guide and the front lowerguide are guided so that the belt portion and the cables and chains,respectively, cross each other in the proximity of the rear upper guide.It is ensured that sufficient belt length is present to cooperate withthe lower guides, i.e., when the belt portion extends between the twoupper guides it also extends between the two lower guides.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into effect, it willnow be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are three cross-sectional views of a stretcheraccording to the invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 diagrammatically show another embodiment of a stretcher.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show yet another embodiment of the invention.

Reference numerals 1 and 2 in FIGS. 1 and 2 denote a front and rearupper guide roller for a belt. Reference numerals 3 and 4 denote frontand rear lower guide rollers between which a number of further lowerguide rollers 5 are present. The said rollers are journalled so as to berotatable in side plates 6, a supporting plate 7 being provided betweensaid side plates. The said guides comprise cable wheels forming oneassembly with said guides and comprising a groove 8 through which acable can be guided which takes along said wheel by friction; ifdesirable, sprocket wheels may be used instead of cable wheels whichcomprise teeth which can cooperate with chains. An endless system isguided over the guides and consists of a belt portion 9 which in thestarting position of the stretcher extends from the rear lower guide 4to the front upper guide 1 as shown in solid line in FIG. 1. At its endsaid belt portion 9 comprises a transverse reinforcement 10, two cablesl1 and 12 being secured to the sides of said transverse reinforcement.These cables 11 and 12 extend from the guide 1 to the guide 2, thence tothe front lower guide 3 and then via the track rollers to the rear lowerguide 4 (as shown in dashed line in FIG. 1) and are then secured to thetransverse reinforcement on the other side of the belt portion 9. Therear upper guide roller 2 is furthermore provided with a worm wheel 14which cooperates with a worm which has an operating handle 16. A tensionroller 18 ensures that the belt-cable system always remains under asufficient stress.

By rotating the handle 16 the guide roller 2 can be given ananti-clockwise rotation. As a result of this the cable-belt system willstart moving and that in such manner that the belt 9 moves via the guideroller 1 over the plate 7 in the direction of the guide roller 2. Thepart of the cables which is guided over the lower guide rollers 3, 4 and5 will also start moving, of course at the same speed and in the samedirection from roller 3 to roller 4 so in the same direction as the beltportion 9 moves over the plate 7. The cables will drive the rollers 3, 4and 5 which are constructed as track rollers so that said rollers willbe rotated clock-wise. As a result of the fact that the diameter of therollers 3, 4 and 5 is equal to the diameter on which the cablescooperate with said rollers, the stretcher will hence be displaced fromthe left to the right at the same speed as that at which the belt-cablesystem moves. As a result, the belt portion 9 which is to support thebody of a person to be lifted moves in a direction from the right to theleft, while the stretcher moves at an equal speed from the left to theright, as viewed in FIG. 1. This means that the belt portion 9 performsno relative movement relative to a person to be lifted so that saidperson can easily be lifted on the stretcher without forces beingexerted on him. His posture will not substantially change so that thedanger of his condition getting worse is minimized. In the same mannerin which a person is laid on the stretcher, he can be removed therefrom.In this case the handle 16 has to be rotated in the reverse direction.

Since one endless cable-belt system is used in this stretcher, the speedof the stretcher will always be exactly equal to and opposite to thespeed of the belt portion 9 moving over the plate 7. In order to achievethis by means of an endless system, the endless system should be woundcross-wise over the upper and lower guides. This crossing possibility isobtained by constructing a part of the system as two cables, thedistance between the cables being sufficiently large that the beltportion 9 can travel between them. In this manner the belt portion 9 andthe cables l1, 12 can cross each other at the area 20.

In the construction of the stretcher shown in FIG. 1, said belt portion9 has a minimum length, i.e., exactly the distance between the guides .1and 2, approximately the length of a human body.

The length of the belt portion 9 can also be chosen to be larger. In theconstruction shown in FIG. 1 the belt portion 9 can extend maximallyfrom the crossing 20, around roller 3, roller 4 up to roller 1. In thatcase a part of the belt portion 9 which is guided over rollers 3, 4 and5 will be in contact with the ground.

FIGS. 4 and 5-show a slightly varied embodiment of a stretcher in whichthe crossing 20 is located in the proximity of the rear side of thestretcher by using two further guide rollers 21 and 22. In the startingposition the belt portion 9 now extends from approximately the crossing20, via rollers 3 and 4 up to roller 1. The result of this is thatalways a part of the belt is in contact with the ground and henceensures the movement of the stretcher. The rollers 21 and 22 are at thesame time constructed as tensioning rollers.

In the preceding figures stretchers are shown for the operation in thelongitudinal direction; it will be obvious that with the idea accordingto the present invention, stretchers operating in the transversedirectioncan also be designed. Such stretchers are particularly suitablefor lifting a patient out of bed or conversely. Such a transversestretcher is diagrammatically shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in a plan view andin a cross-sectional view, respectively. The guide rollers 1, 2, 3 and 4extend throughout the length of the stretcher, four beltchain systemsbeing wound over said guides. The roller comprises a number of sprocketwheels 25 over which the chains 11, 12 of the respective beltchainsystems are guided. The roller 2 is furthermore again provided with aworm wheel 14 which cooperates with a worm 15. The further constructionand operation of this stretcher will be clear after the aboveexplanation.

What is claimed is:

l. A stretcher comprising a frame, at least two parallel upper guidesincorporated in said frame on the front and rear side thereof forguiding a belt portion movable over said guides for supporting a humanbody, at least two lower guides incorporated in the frame on the frontand rear side thereof and forming part of a moving mechanism, a couplingbetween the belt portion and the moving mechanism so that the beltportion moves in a direction opposite to that of the frame, the lengthof said belt portion being at least equal to the distance between thetwo upper guides, said belt portion, in the starting position of thestretcher, extending between the front upper guide and the rear lowerguide, two parallel extending cables or chains being secured on one sideof the belt portion at a distance from each other which is at leastequal to the width of the belt portion, said cables or chains beingguided over wheels which are secured to the rear upper guide, then overwheels which are secured to the front lower guide and then over wheelswhich are secured to the rear lower guide, the cables or chains beingthen connected to the other side of the belt portion, and a drivingmechanism with which the rear upper guide can be rotated.

2. A stretcher as claimed in claim 1, wherein said belt portion extendsin the starting position from the front upper guide around the rear andfront lower guides to substantially the place where the belt portionbetween the front upper guide and the rear lower guide crosses thecables or chains extending from the rear upper guide in the direction ofthe front lower guide.

3. A stretcher as claimed in claim 2, further comprising two furtherguides located near the rear upper guide over which the belt portionbetween the front upper and rear lower guide, and the cables and chainsbetween the rear upper guide and the front lower guide, are guided insuch manner that the belt portion and the cables and chains,respectively, cross each other in the proximity of the rear upper guide.

4. A stretcher as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a guide platecarried by said frame extending between the two upper guides forsupporting the belt portion between said two guides.

5. A stretcher comprising a frame, two upper guide rollers rotatablymounted in said frame and arranged parallel to each other, one of saidupper guide rollers being arranged at the front of said stretcher, theother upper guide roller arranged at the rear of said stretcher, atleast two lower guide rollers rotatably mounted in said frame on thefront and rear sides thereof forming at least part of a means for movingsaid stretcher along the ground, a belt for supporting a human body andarranged for movement around said guide rollers in such a manner as tomove in a direction opposite that of the stretcher, said belt having alength which is at least equal to the distance between said upper guiderollers,

two parallel extending cables secured at one side thereof to one end ofsaid belt and at the other side thereof to the other end of the beltthereby forming an endless belt-cable combination, said cables beingspaced apart a distance which is at least equal to the width of saidbelt so that said belt can pass therebetween, wheels secured to the rearupper guide roller and lower guide rollers for guiding said cablestherearound, and means for rotating said rear upper guide roller so thatsaid cables will be driven about said wheels causing rotation of saidlower guide rollers to move said stretcher along the ground andsimultaneous movement of said belt in the opposite direction betweensaid upper guide rollers at exactly the same speed at which saidstretcher is moving along the ground.

1. A stretcher comprising a frame, at least two parallel upper guidesincorporated in said frame on the front and rear side thereof forguiding a belt portion movable over said guides for supporting a humanbody, at least two lower guides incorporated in the frame on the frontand rear side thereof and forming part of a moving mechanism, a couplingbetween the belt portion and the moving mechanism so that the beltportion moves in a direction opposite to that of the frame, the lengthof said belt portion being at least equal to the distance between thetwo upper guides, said belt portion, in the starting position of thestretcher, extending between the front upper guide and the rear lowerguide, two parallel extending cables or chains being secured on one sideof the belt portion at a distance from each other which is at leastequal to the width of the belt portion, said cables or chains beingguided over wheels which are secured to the rear upper guide, then overwheels which are secured to the front lower guide and then over wheelswhich are secured to the rear lower guide, the cables or chains beingthen connected to the other side of the belt portion, and a drivingmechanism with which the rear upper guide can be rotated.
 2. A stretcheras claimed in claim 1, wherein said belt portion extends in the startingposition from the front upper guide around the rear and front lowerguides to substantially the place where the belt portion between thefront upper guide and the rear lower guide crosses the cables or chainsextending from the rear upper guide in the direction of the front lowerguide.
 3. A stretcher as claimed in claim 2, further comprising twofurther guides located near the rear upper guide over which the beltportion between the front upper and rear lower guide, and the cables andchains between the rear upper guide and the front lower guide, areguided in such manner that the belt portion and the cables and chains,respectively, cross each other in the proximity of the rear upper guide.4. A stretcher as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a guide platecarried by said frame extending between the two upper guides forsupporting the belt portion between said two guides.
 5. A stretchercomprising a frame, two upper guide rollers rotatably mounted in saidframe and arranged parallel to each other, one of said upper guiderollers being arranged at the front of said stretcher, the other upperguide roller arranged at the rear of said stretcher, at least two lowerguide rollers rotatably mounted in said frame on the front and rearsides thereof forming at least part of a means for moving said stretcheralong the ground, a belt for supporting a human body and arranged formovement around said guide rollers in such a manner as to move in adirection opposite that of the stretcher, said belt having a lengthwhich is at least equal to the distanCe between said upper guiderollers, two parallel extending cables secured at one side thereof toone end of said belt and at the other side thereof to the other end ofthe belt thereby forming an endless belt-cable combination, said cablesbeing spaced apart a distance which is at least equal to the width ofsaid belt so that said belt can pass therebetween, wheels secured to therear upper guide roller and lower guide rollers for guiding said cablestherearound, and means for rotating said rear upper guide roller so thatsaid cables will be driven about said wheels causing rotation of saidlower guide rollers to move said stretcher along the ground andsimultaneous movement of said belt in the opposite direction betweensaid upper guide rollers at exactly the same speed at which saidstretcher is moving along the ground.